I know back when I was growing up, especially when we lived in a small town in the Midwest, food was simple. Fresh produce didn't come in from far away, so salads were often fancy Jell-O molds. And we ate canned vegetables because they were plentiful and cheap. In a pinch frozen would fill in.
Instructions -
Add the oil, onion, bell pepper, celery, mushrooms and garlic to a heated frying pan. cook stirring frequently until all vegetables are softened - about 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the hamburger, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and dry mustard and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until mostly brown, about 3 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
Add the beef, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and dry mustard and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until mostly brown, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
Taste the sloppy Joe mixture and adjust seasonings. Spoon the mixture onto the toasted hamburger buns and serve. Can be served like a regular sandwich or on a single bun placed open face on your plate.
As a tween, my family moved to central California. This was during the everything from a pound of hamburger and a can of condensed soup faze. Back then, this was the first convenience food women had. They were heading out to work and still trying to handle all responsibility at home. My mum had countless recipes using one pound of hamburger that stretched to feed our family of five. We honestly ate less.
Packages of dry seasonings were also big. I remember for awhile all meatloaf was made with a package of dry onion soup. Then there were the TV dinners. About once a month my mom would offer them. She was just exhausted and needed a night off. We thought they were amazing! REALLY! As was the rare treat - a single cheeseburger, fries and pop from MacDonalds. Years later when I tried a cheeseburger again I was shocked at how blah it was. The TV dinners - oh my, how did I think they were gourmet?
Still, there are days I crave something from my past - comfort food because of the memories it holds. I do my best to find a new version that doesn't used dry package seasonings or canned condensed soup, and sometimes I get lucky. For example, I found an amazing updated green bean casserole made from scratch that is now a holiday dinner tradition. You can find the recipe HERE!
Off and on over the years I have looked for a Sloppy Joe recipe, but those I tried always had more of a sweet barbecue flavor. My mum's just had that package of seasoning, tomato paste and water, so not sweet - and I honestly prefer my food more on the savory side. Then a couple weeks ago I decided to look again and found this version by Jennifer Segal on a site called Once Upon A Chef.
I've only made it once now and it hit the spot, but I was feeling the pull to change it up a little. I finally got around to cooking this again yesterday and personally like the new version better. But that is up to individual taste. Some will like it with a thick tomato sauce. Other like me will like a lighter taste. It's up to you which you like best, so have both recipes included below.
Enjoy! And if you try it and have some suggestions on ingredients to add, I am all ears. Post a comment.
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Sloppy Joes (updated recipe - original below)
4-6 servings depending on the size of the bun and how much you fill them.
Ingredients -
1-1/4 lbs. Extra lean ground beef (important as meat is not drained after browning)
1 Olive Oil
1 Medium yellow or sweet onion, finely diced
1/2 Small red bell pepper, finely diced
1-1/4 lbs. Extra lean ground beef (important as meat is not drained after browning)
1 Olive Oil
1 Medium yellow or sweet onion, finely diced
1/2 Small red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 lb. Mushrooms, finely diced
1 Large stalk celery, finely diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
1/2 tsp Ground cumin
1/2 tsp Dried oregano
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes and the juice
3 T Tomato paste
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp Hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
Hamburger buns toasted under the broiler to keep them crisp
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
1/2 tsp Ground cumin
1/2 tsp Dried oregano
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes and the juice
3 T Tomato paste
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp Hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
Hamburger buns toasted under the broiler to keep them crisp
Instructions -
Add the oil, onion, bell pepper, celery, mushrooms and garlic to a heated frying pan. cook stirring frequently until all vegetables are softened - about 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the hamburger, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and dry mustard and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until mostly brown, about 3 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
While it's simmering, get your hamburger buns ready. They can be used as is right from the package; warmed in the microwave; split open, or toasted under the broiler with or without butter. Warming is nice. Toasting is even better as it helps keep the buns from getting soggy. But do whatever works for you in the moment. Kids in particular couldn't care less.
Taste the sloppy Joe mixture and adjust seasonings. Spoon the mixture onto the toasted hamburger buns and serve. They can be served like a regular sandwich or on a single bun placed open face on your plate. I served them with a great chopped salad full of veggies.
Sloppy Joes (original recipe posted)
4-6 servings depending on the size of the bun and how much you fill them.
Ingredients -
1-1/4 lbs. Extra lean ground beef (important as meat is not drained after browning)
2 T Butter, plus more for buns
1 Medium yellow or sweet onion, finely diced
1 Small red bell pepper, finely diced
3 cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
3/4 tsp Ground cumin
1/2 tsp Dried oregano
3/4 tsp Dry mustard
1 (14-oz) can tomato sauce
2 T Tomato paste
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp Hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco or Frank's, or to taste
Hamburger buns (I like to toast mine so the sauce doesn't soak in as fast)
4-6 servings depending on the size of the bun and how much you fill them.
Ingredients -
1-1/4 lbs. Extra lean ground beef (important as meat is not drained after browning)
2 T Butter, plus more for buns
1 Medium yellow or sweet onion, finely diced
1 Small red bell pepper, finely diced
3 cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
3/4 tsp Ground cumin
1/2 tsp Dried oregano
3/4 tsp Dry mustard
1 (14-oz) can tomato sauce
2 T Tomato paste
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp Hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco or Frank's, or to taste
Hamburger buns (I like to toast mine so the sauce doesn't soak in as fast)
Note - may add Mushrooms next time.
Instructions -
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until bubbling. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
Instructions -
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until bubbling. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the beef, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and dry mustard and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until mostly brown, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
While it's simmering, get your hamburger buns ready. They can be used as is right from the package; warmed in the microwave; split open, buttered and toasted butter side up in a 350 degree oven; or toasted under the broiler with or without butter. Warming is nice. Toasting is even better as it helps keep the buns from getting soggy. But do whatever works for you in the moment. Kids in particular couldn't care less.
Taste the sloppy Joe mixture and adjust seasonings. Spoon the mixture onto the toasted hamburger buns and serve. Can be served like a regular sandwich or on a single bun placed open face on your plate.
This looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteTHanks so much. Think I'll be playing with this recipe more so be sure and check back.
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